Chapter 23: Light: Geometric Optics Objectives

• I have heard of Light Rays. What is a 'ray' anyway?
  
  
• ...and when is light a ray and when is it not?
  
  
• "Mirror, mirror..." how do you show me what I see?
  
  
• The big mirrors I see in stores, why do they have Curved Mirrored Surfaces?
  
  
• How come I see all the people in the store in them?
  
  
• What different kinds of curved mirrors are there?
  
  
• What is a focal point?
  
  
• What type of images are there?
  
  
• How can I use light rays to predict where images are formed by curved mirrors?
  
  
• What equations can I use to solve these problems?
  
  
• What is a Index of Refraction and what does it tell me about the Speed of Light?
  
  
• How can I use Snell's Law to predict what light does as it goes from one material to another?
  
  
• I have heard of Total Internal Reflection. How does that work?
  • How is it utilized in Binoculars?
    
  • I have seen an advertisement for 'genuine non-prismatic binoculars'. Should I buy them?
    
  • With all the talk about the Internet, I have heard lots about Fiber Optic Networks. What is Fiber Optics anyway?
    
  • What is a Lens and what are the different types of Lenses?
    
  • How can I use Ray Diagrams to find the image formed by a lens?
    
  • In what way are these diagrams different from those I used for mirrors?
    
  • What Lens Equations are available for solving problems?
    • ...and how can I use them?
    
    
• What is the Lensmaker's Equation and how is it used?

NOTE:

In order to take advantage of the new features in Java, from Chapter 16 on, the Physlet® Problems module uses the the new release of the JDK, JDK 1.1.

Currently, the new version of Java is supported on PCs. running Win95/NT. It is currently not supported on Macs, although we anticipate this will change soon, hopefully by the fall semester.

In addition, on PCs, the new version of Java works best with the Internet Explorer 4 web browser.

If you are using a PC running Win 95/NT and are using Netscape 4, please download the latest version of Netscape, currently Netscape 4.06.

The recommended system requirements to use the applets in the Physlet® Problems modules are:

• a Pentium 90 with 16MB RAM or Power Macintosh with 32MB RAM
• either Netscape 3.0.3 and higher or Internet Explorer 4.0. Internet Explorer 3.0/AOL browser does not work!
• Your internet connection should be through your school's local area network. Using a 28.8 modem will result in dramatically increased load times.